Muslims around the World Speak Out Against Terrorist Attacks in Paris

New Age Islam News Bureau

15 Nov 2015

Child Soldiers: a tool to sustain power in the Afghan war

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Europe

•  Muslims around the World Speak Out Against Terrorist Attacks in Paris

•  Paris Attacks: Why This Horrific Massacre Marks a New Kind of Warfare from ISIS

•  Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby Respond in Prayer To Paris Attacks

•  Paris concert hall attacker identified; father, brother taken into custody

•  Worse than war: Paris doctor recalls night of horror

•  Myanmar president promises peaceful power transfer

•  Paris attacker’s possible link to migrant trail heightens security fears in Europe

•  What France has been doing against Islamic State in Syria

•  Paris prosecutor says likely attackers worked in three teams

•  'Will do whatever we can': says Cameron after Paris attack

•  Germany probes arrested man's links to Paris attacks

•  British cities light up in support of grieving Paris

•  Eerie similarity between Mumbai and Paris terror attacks: Pakistani daily

•  Paris Streets Run Red With Blood: Is This Catalyst?

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Arab World

•  ISIL Sends Long Military Convoy towards Battlefields with US Chopper's Back Up

•  At Least 18 Terrorists Killed In Idlib

•  Syrian Forces Retake Key Area near Palmyra

•  Spokesman: Syrian Airstrikes Destroy over 300 Terrorist Positions

•  Syrian Forces Advancing against Nusra Militants West of Aleppo

•  Syrian Forces Win Back More Ground near Kuweires Airbase

•  Syrian Forces Continue Hunting ISIL Militants East, Northeast of Aleppo

•  Yemeni Forces Win Back New Areas in Ma'arib

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South Asia

•  Child Soldiers: A Tool to Sustain Power in the Afghan War

•  Afghan Peace Tops Army Chief’s US Visit Agenda

•  NDS detains seven Taliban in Kandahar

•  Kabul discusses refugee problems with European envoys

•  India to build three healthcare centers in Badakhshan’s remote areas

•  Seven Afghans, one Ukrainian killed in helicopter crash in Slovakia

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Mideast

•  'IS' Jihadist Blows Himself Up, Injuring Four Policemen in Southern Turkey

•  ISIS Top of the Agenda at G20 Summit in Turkey

•  Iran's Deputy COS Warns US, European Allies Not to Misuse Paris Tragedy against Muslims

•  Cyprus says 10 people stopped from going to Syria

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India

•  Indian Cities Vulnerable To Paris-Like Attacks: Experts

•  Prime Minister Narendra Modi Urges UN To ‘Define Terrorism’

•  Mossad, MI5 roped in to shield Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Turkey?

•  Dalai Lama sees Bihar hope for harmony

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Africa

•  22 Dead This Week in Central African Republic - Pope's Visit in Doubt

•  UN peacekeeper killed in Central African Republic

•  US air strike kills ISIS leader in Libya

•  Ben Carson and the GOP’s Foolish Jihad against Muslims

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Pakistan

•  Gurdwara in Pakistan Reopens For Worship After 73 Years

•  Two Policemen Guarding Ismaili Community Flats Killed

•  Khanani’s arrest by US shocks money-changers

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Southeast Asia

•  Salleh: Muslim Silent Majority Must Condemn Terrorism

•  Tawfik Ismail Speaks For Silent Muslims

•  Is Malaysia 'Westernised' Or Islamic?

•  Myanmar President Promises Peaceful Power Transfer

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North America

•  American-Muslim Leaders Say ISIS 'Has Declared War on All of Us'

•  U.S. Muslim Coalition to Respond to Paris Terror Attacks

•  Hillary urges war on Daesh, not Muslims

•  Matt Drudge Slams Obama for Importing Muslims into the United States

•  This is not 'us vs them': Violent extremism is not a Muslim problem – we must fight it together

•  Paris Terror Attacks May Prompt More Aggressive U.S. Strategy on ISIS

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:  https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslims-around-world-speak-terrorist/d/105279

 

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Europe

Muslims Around the World Speak Out Against Terrorist Attacks in Paris

Nash Jenkins @pnashjenkins

Nov. 14, 2015

'Terrorism has no religion'

Before the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria had even claimed responsibility for the shootings and explosions that killed more than 120 in Paris on Friday night, Muslims around the world took to social media to condemn the perpetrators and defend Islam as a faith of nonviolence.

The bloodshed was linked to Islamic extremists early on, following reports that the perpetrators had referred to French policy towards Muslims and screamed “Allahu Akbar” during the attacks. President François Hollande officially named ISIS as the group behind what he called an “act of war” just before noon local time.

Several Muslim religious and political leaders officially denounced the attacks before the group took responsibility, including Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, who called them a “crime against humanity,” and Qatari foreign minister Khaled al-Attiyah, who said they were “heinous.” Rouhani had been scheduled to visit France as part of a wider European trip this weekend but has postponed his plans.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, leader of the world’s most populous Muslim nation, said that”Indonesia condemns the violence that took place in Paris.”

More spirited responses came from ordinary people. On Twitter, many referred to the hashtag #TerrorismHasNoReligion, seeking divorce Islam from the dogma espoused by extremists.

    My name is Hamad. I am a #Muslim. I condemn the #ParisAttacks & with me Over 1.57 Billion Muslims do. Terrorists have no religion. #paris

    — HamdullahLehri (@HamdullahLehri) November 14, 2015

    I am an American Muslim and I apologize for the terrorist attacks in Paris. That is not Islam. ISLAM IS PEACE.

    — Cait (@Hijabicait) November 14, 2015

    Those who still think Islam promotes violence. Here's Islamic narrative #ParisAttacks #ParisShooting #Muslims pic.twitter.com/8IDqFJfZVy

    — مُتعجب (@Moha_Alruwaili) November 14, 2015

Many cited the Quran to prove their point.

    I am a Muslim and I refuse #ParisAttacks, violence to innocent civilians is unacceptable in any way and for any reason.

    — ♔ (@Mrsmalik_8) November 14, 2015

    Not all terrorists are Muslims and not all Muslims are terrorists. TERRORISM HAS NO RELIGION #ParisAttacks pic.twitter.com/PjzwywyMqO

    — فوّاز (@The_7kr) November 14, 2015

http://time.com/4112830/muslims-paris-terror-attacks-islam-condemn/

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Paris attacks: Why this horrific massacre marks a new kind of warfare from ISIS

Patrick Cockburn | The Independent | Nov 15, 2015

The Islamic State (ISIS) has always massacred civilians in large numbers to show its strength and instil fear in its opponents. In the west, people notice these atrocities only when they take place on their own streets, though ISIS suicide bombers killed 43 people in Beirut on 12 November and 26 more in Baghdad on November 13. These attacks are almost impossible to stop because they are directed against civilians, who cannot all be defended, and the bombers are willing to die in order to destroy their targets.

ISIS has claimed the Paris attacks, saying that France was targeted because of its air strikes in Syria. The use of eight suicide bombers and gunmen in a national capital, guaranteeing maximum coverage by the media, has all the hallmarks of an ISIS operation. One ominous difference from the killings earlier in the year at Charlie Hebdo magazine and in a Jewish supermarket, is that attacks, presumably because of ISIS involvement, are getting more sophisticated and better planned.

Recruiting, arming, coordinating and keeping hidden the Paris killers until the last moment implies good organization. The same was true of the smuggling of a bomb on to the Russian plane before it left the ground at Sharm al-Sheikh on October 30.

What is the explanation for this recent intensification of ISIS suicide bombings outside Syria and Iraq? The killing of civilians as complicit in the acts of their governments was always part the ideology of al-Qaida, an approach most famously demonstrated on 9/11 in New York. The softest of targets is destroyed by bombers or gunmen intent on killing themselves along with their enemies as a demonstration of religious faith.

But there is a further reason why ISIS may be intent on showing that it can strike anywhere in the world: for the first time in two years, a period during which ISIS has created its own state in western Iraq and eastern Syria, it is being driven back by military pressure on a number of fronts.

In the past, it would deal with its numerous but disunited enemies one after the other, but now it is facing attacks on a number of fronts at the same time. The Syrian army backed by Russian air strikes last week ended the siege by ISIS of Kweiris Airbase west of Aleppo. It was the biggest Syrian government victory for two years. The Syrian Kurds, in cooperation with the US air force, are advancing south around Hasaka, while the Iraqi Kurds, again with American air support, have captured Sinjar city west of Mosul. ISIS will find it difficult to travel between Raqqa and Mosul and may lose its grip on the oilfields of north-east Syria, from which it has derived revenue.

These developments on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria may seem distant from the butchery in the heart of Paris. But it is important to understand that ISIS is an effective fighting machine because its military skills, evolved during years of fighting, are a potent blend of urban terrorism, guerrilla tactics and conventional warfare. Its blitzkrieg advances in Iraq in the summer of 2014 were preceded by a wave of suicide bombings using vehicles packed with explosives in Shia districts of Baghdad and central Iraq. The aim was to keep its enemies frightened and off balance and to show to potential supporters that ISIS was a power in the land.

Nobody in the outside world paid much attention to the thousands of Iraqi Shia who were killed then and have gone on dying because of ISIS terrorist bombings in Iraq. The number of civilians killed in Iraq jumped from 4,623 in 2012 to 9,473 in 2013 and to 17,045 in 2014, according to Iraqi Body Count, an independent website; a high proportion of these killed were Shia victims of ISIS bombers and executioners. This savagery is now being repeated in the streets of Paris and Ankara, where 102 demonstrators for peace were killed by two suicide bombers on 10 October.

It is part of ISIS's tactical manual to retaliate against any opponent by any means, with the aim of showing defiance in some spectacular way guaranteed to dominate the international news agenda. Thus, it reacted against US air strikes, which it could not prevent militarily, with videos of American journalists and aid workers being decapitated with horrific deliberation. When cutting off heads ceased to have its previous shock effect, IS burned to death a Jordanian pilot in a cage.

It claims that the killing of civilians is not mindless murder but vengeance: an ISIS-related group saying it was behind the destruction of the Russian plane and its 224 passengers showed pictures on the internet of the aircraft's wreckage interleaved with shots of buildings in Syria shattered by Russian bombs. ISIS is making clear that, if any country bombs them from the air, it will reply in kind on the ground, using the methods of urban terrorism backed by a well organized state. It is difficult to think of any example of this happening before.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Paris-attacks-Why-this-horrific-massacre-marks-a-new-kind-of-warfare-from-ISIS/articleshow/49788790.cms

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Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby respond in prayer to Paris attacks

florence-taylor Florence Taylor Junior Staff Writer 14 November 2015

Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby join world leaders reacting to the Paris attacks in prayer.

Justin Welby responded to the attacks, which began on Friday evening and is thought to have killed 128 people, with the words:

"Tragic Paris, desperate news of deep tragedy, with heart break for so many. We weep with those affected, pray for deliverance and justice."

Pope Francis condemned "this new manifestation of maddening, terrorist violence and hatred." He deemed them unjustifiable "inhuman" acts that left him shaken and pained.

There is no justification for these things," he said in an extremely sombre voice in a telephone call to an Italian Catholic television station. "This is not human," he said, adding that he was praying for the victims, their families and all the French people.

A statement from the Vatican released on Friday declared the attacks "an attack on peace for all humanity" and called for "a decisive, supportive response on the part of all of us as we counter the spread of homicidal hatred in all its forms."

David Cameron said: "I am shocked by events in Paris tonight.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help."

The US president told a press conference: "Those who think they can terrorise the people of France and the values they stand for are wrong."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the attacks as "heinous and immoral."

"My thoughts are with the people of Paris tonight," the Labour leader said. We stand in solidarity with the French."

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/pope.francis.and.archbishop.justin.welby.respond.in.prayer.to.paris.attacks/70569.htm

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Paris concert hall attacker identified; father, brother taken into custody

AFP | Nov 15, 2015

PARIS: French police have identified one of the gunmen who blew himself up at the Bataclan concert hall, the scene of the bloodiest attack where 89 people were killed, as 29-year-old Paris native Omar Ismail Mostefai. His father and 34-year-old brother have been taken into custody by police and a source close to the probe said investigators are now searching the homes of other friends and relatives of the killer.

Mostefai, whose identity was confirmed using a severed fingertip, was known as being close to radical Islam, but had never been linked to terrorism.

Police said the attackers appeared to be "seasoned, at first sight, and well trained" and were investigating whether they had ever been to fight in Syria, where IS has proclaimed a caliphate along with territory in neighbouring Iraq. The Paris attacks were "prepared, organised and planned overseas, with help from inside (France)," French President Francois Hollande said.

French police identified the first attacker out of the three teams of gunmen who carried out the worst ever attacks ever visited on Paris, which killed 129 people and wounded hundreds more.

The Islamic State group has claimed the carnage carried at some of the French capital's most popular night-spots, including a sold-out concert hall, at restaurants and bars and outside France's national stadium. The seven attackers -- six blew themselves up and one was shot by police -- are the first to ever carry out suicide bombings on French soil and, unlike those who killed 17 in Paris in January, were unknown to security services.

Investigators in France, Belgium, Greece and Germany are now trying to find out who these men were, how they carried out such a vast coordinated attack, and why.

Belgian police have arrested several people over links to the Paris attacks in a huge sweep, including one who was in the French capital at the time of the attacks. Belgian Justice Minister Koen Geens said the arrests were in connection with a grey Polo that had been rented in Belgium that was found near the Bataclan concert hall.

The arrests -- local media said three people had been detained -- took place in the poor Brussels district of Molenbeek that has been linked to several other terror plots in Europe. Police in Belgium, which has the highest number of citizens per-capita who have gone to fight for IS in Europe, have opened a formal terrorism investigation.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins separately said one of the vehicles used in Friday's attacks was registered in Belgium and hired by a French national living there. Witnesses in Paris said some attackers arrived in a car with Belgian plates.

Greek authorities have confirmed that a man who died in the attacks with a Syrian passport found next to him had registered as a refugee on the of island of Leros in October. French police said the passport was found "near the body of one of the attackers" after the Bataclan carnage, and had also asked Greece to check on the fingerprints of another man.

Earlier information from a Greek police source that he too had registered on Leros was later refuted. The passport is still being checked, but it indicates the attackers may have had links to Syria and could have been among the thousands of people that have fled the country's civil war for Europe.

German police arrested a man on November 5 after machine-guns, hand guns and explosives were found in his vehicle during a routine check on a motorway. Bavaria's state premier Horst Seehofer said there was reason to believe he had links to the attackers, and that the case "shows how important it is for us to have some clarity on who is in our country".

But Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere rejected the link, and made an "urgent plea to avoid drawing such swift links to the situation surrounding refugees".

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Paris-concert-hall-attacker-identified-father-brother-taken-into-custody/articleshow/49787709.cms

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Worse than war: Paris doctor recalls night of horror

AP | Nov 15, 2015, 09.57 AM IST

LA GARENNE-COLOMBES: In 2008, Philippe Juvin worked as an anesthesiologist with French troops in Afghanistan. Nothing he handled during months in the war zone was as difficult as his night in Paris when terror attacks killed at least 129 people.

Juvin, the head of the emergency department at Georges Pompidou hospital, said he was called back to work about two hours after the attacks started Friday. Anticipating an overwhelming night, the first thing he did was make sure all patients who did not need emergency care were sent home.

A wave of about 50 victims from the attacks arrived between 2 and 3am. They were mostly young people shot when gunmen attacked the Bataclan concert hall during a rock show. Juvin saw what he described as war wounds in the thorax, abdomen, legs and arms. About a quarter of them were in very serious condition.

In Afghanistan, Juvin said he saw "many gun battles, explosions, buildings on fire, accidents with casualties."

Yet, "I had never seen as many victims at once," he said. "But we managed somehow."

Juvin, 51, said the spontaneous help he received from doctors leaving near his hospital was decisive in saving lives. Physicians who were on vacation in Paris also showed up, offering assistance.

The youth and good health of most of the victims helped them survive, Juvin said.

"Waiting one hour or two when you're wounded but young is less uncomfortable than when you're old and sick," he said.

In addition to the dead, more than 200 people were injured Friday night when attackers opened fire at Paris cafes, detonated suicide bombs near France's national stadium and killed hostages inside the concert hall.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Worse-than-war-Paris-doctor-recalls-night-of-horror/articleshow/49788356.cms

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Myanmar president promises peaceful power transfer

IANS | Nov 15, 2015

NAY PYI TAW: Myanmar President U Thein Sein on Sunday promised to systematically transfer power to the new government after the recent general elections.

U Thein Sein made the remarks when meeting for the first time political parties a week after the country's multitiered elections, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, attained the absolute majority of the parliamentary seats, Xinhua reported.

The current government will work for smooth and peaceful transition during the remaining period of its term in line with the existing laws, procedures, prescriptions and practices, the president told the political parties.

He called for convening the second term of parliament in order to carry out the peaceful transfer of power to the new government.

Speaking of the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) with various ethnic armed groups, he believed that the new government would implement it to the best of its ability based on the already achieved foundation for domestic peace.

At the meeting, NLD party spokesman U Nyan Win promised to undertake the future task peacefully, upholding the principle of national reconciliation which, he said, the party has as always been adopting since its establishment.

Myanmar held historic general elections on November 8 and the NLD has won two-thirds majority in the two-house parliament and thereby the right to form the new government.

The new parliament's inaugural session will take place in January 2016 and presidential run will follow in February. The new government will be formed at the end of March on the expiry of the present government's term.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Myanmar-president-promises-peaceful-power-transfer/articleshow/49789549.cms

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Paris attacker’s possible link to migrant trail heightens security fears in Europe

Alison Smale & Rick Lyman | NYT News Service | Nov 15, 2015

BERLIN: For months, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children have literally marched their way into Europe, fleeing war, poverty and hunger, arriving in such huge numbers that they set off uncommon displays of compassion — and outright acts of fear.

Even before the Paris attacks Friday, some of the most welcoming Europeans were beginning to lose patience. Borders were closed, benefits cut, warnings issued in Arabic to stay away.

But on Saturday, French officials revealed what could prove to be a turning point in the debate over migration: one of the attackers was carrying a Syrian passport, and perhaps more ominously, may have entered Europe along the migrant trail.

Poland moved first to shut the door.

"After Paris, we lost security guarantees," said Konrad Szymanski, Poland's new minister for relations with other European nations. He added, "The tragic events in Paris showed weakness in Europe."

Europe never knew how to deal with the migrants. Greece pushed them to Macedonia. Hungary put up a fence. Austria and Germany welcomed them, for a time. But there was no coordinated strategy for the 28 members of the European Union. The only agreement, after summit meetings and other talks, was a plan to distribute 160,000 refugees among all the member states. It was a fraction of the total migrant population, and the agreement was achieved only under intense pressure from Germany.

Now, Poland is moving toward undoing that deal.

The incoming conservative government in Warsaw quickly criticized the plan, Szymanski wrote in wPolityce.pl, a right-wing journal. "In view of the tragic events in Paris, we do not see the political possibility of executing this policy. Poland must retain full control over its borders."

Under the relocation plan, Poland would receive only 9,000 of the migrants, but Szymanski said via email Saturday that Poland would agree to accept them only with "security guarantees," including a full security check on "every person covered by international protection in Europe."

Poland's determination to scuttle the pact may spread, dooming it even as investigators in Paris are still trying to establish the identities and backgrounds of the assailants who killed more than 120 people on Friday. It was too soon to say for certain whether the attackers had links to the refugees from the Syrian conflict, but investigators believe that militants have tried to hide among the masses legitimately seeking asylum.

Although the practice appears rare, a French intelligence official said it would not be the first time that a militant had mingled in the stream of migrants arriving in Europe via Turkey and Greece. He said French security services had recently identified one in Calais.

A former senior intelligence official, who is still well-briefed, said: "This is becoming a strategy for them: to embed among the migrants."

Indeed, the attacks emboldened some politicians who had already voiced fears about the security risks and financial costs of trying to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in a region with its own economic troubles. Populist and conservative leaders around Europe on Saturday stepped up their calls to tighten or shut borders and to halt the flow of migrants, many of them from Syria, where the Islamic State looms large.

Former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe have insisted that their largely homogeneous, impoverished societies cannot cope with a large influx of outsiders - who usually prefer to head for wealthier, more multicultural countries like Germany, Austria or Sweden.

On Saturday, conservative politicians from Slovakia and populist and nationalist leaders in Western Europe, like Marine Le Pen in France and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, swiftly used denunciations of the Paris violence to bolster their calls for keeping migrants out and borders shut.

In Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has opposed refugee quotas, announced tightened security on his country's borders, particularly the one with Ukraine, and insisted that "everyone who illegally crosses borders must be seen as a security threat."

After the Paris attacks, he said, his government would watch for signs of right-wing extremism, as well as other forms. He added, "I hope that the events that took place open the eyes of some people now."

Margus Tsahkna, Estonia's minister of social protection and a member of a small right-wing party in the governing coalition who has opposed the niqab, or full-face veil, worn by some Muslim women, said on Facebook that Estonians must face a "harsh reality" and that "Europe is at war".

A party colleague, Marko Mihkelson, who is a member of parliament, echoed the sentiment. "If this is not declaring war on Europe, then what is?" he asked. "The terrorists must know they are facing a force that has no mercy and is capable of striking back."

In France, Le Pen did not mention the migrant crisis — although she has opposed admitting more refugees — but she insisted that France had to take control of its borders.

"France and the French are no longer safe, it is my duty to tell you so," she said at a news conference.

"Whatever the European Union may say, it is essential that France recover the control of its national borders, once and for all," she said. "Without borders, neither security nor protection is possible."

In the Netherlands, the center-right prime minister, Mark Rutte, announced a tightening of border checks. But he declined to heed Wilders's call for a total shutdown of Dutch borders.

Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, found herself increasingly isolated at home and around the Continent over her call for protecting refugees fleeing war, poverty and terrorism in the Middle East. In an unusually emotional appearance Saturday morning, she notably did not change her stance.

"We know that our life of freedom is stronger than terror," Merkel said. "Let us answer the terrorists by living our values with courage."

But even Merkel could not ignore the potential security threat, and so she, too, huddled Saturday with her top security officials. Germany's interior minister, Thomas de Maiziere, who has been at odds with Merkel over curbing the refugee flow, announced tighter monitoring of rail and air links with France and appealed for unity in the face of "barbarous murderers."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Paris-attackers-possible-link-to-migrant-trail-heightens-security-fears-in-Europe/articleshow/49788037.cms

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What France has been doing against Islamic State in Syria

AP | Nov 15, 2015, 03.52 AM IST

NEW YORK: The Islamic State group on Saturday expressed fury at France's recently launched airstrikes against it in Syria as it claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in Paris. The airstrikes have hit training camps and reflect France's fears that hundreds of French fighters in Syria and Iraq could return home and, as President Francois Hollande put it last month, "plant bombs in our country."

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Saturday told French television TF1 that France's fight in Syria will continue.

Many details about Friday's attacks remain unclear, including how long the coordinated assault had been planned.

The Paris attack comes less than a week after France's military said a French airstrike had targeted an oil distribution center in Syria controlled by Islamic State militants in an attempt to cut a crucial source of the group's funding.

The Islamic State's online statement Saturday on the Paris attacks specifically mentioned France's airstrike campaign, launched less than two months ago.

"The stench of death will not leave their noses as long as they remain at the forefront of the Crusaders' campaign, dare to curse our prophet, boast of a war on Islam in France, and strike Muslims in the lands of the caliphate with warplanes," the statement said.

France joined the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq last year and expanded its campaign to Syria in late September, starting with a five-hour attack by jet fighters on a training camp in the eastern part of the country.

In announcing the strikes on September 27, Hollande told reporters that the strikes, and others to come, were aimed at "protecting our territory, cutting short terrorist actions, acting in legitimate defense."

AIRCRAFT CARRIER NOW BEING DEPLOYED

Also this month, Hollande announced that France will deploy an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group in both Iraq and Syria.

He didn't say when the carrier, which will boost the air power of the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes, will leave the French Mediterranean port of Toulon.

France already has 12 jet fighters based in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan involved in the operations. Two of the Jordan-based jets carried out the November 8 strike against the oil distribution center controlled by the Islamic State group near Deir ez-Zor, in eastern Syria.

The French government has insisted that while it is part of the US-led coalition, France is deciding independently who and what to hit in Syria.

600 FRENCH NATIONALS ESTIMATED IN SYRIA, IRAQ

In an interview last month with French broadcaster RTL, Hollande acknowledged French airstrikes on other Islamic State camps in Raqqa, the capital of IS' self-proclaimed caliphate, and elsewhere in Syria, saying "there are terrorists training to lead the fight in Syria but can also plant bombs in our country."

He repeated his government's estimate that there are 600 French nationals in the "combat zones" in Syria and Iraq who could return to France with the potential to carry out attacks at home.

Until launching the airstrike campaign, France had held back on engaging in Syria, citing concern over playing into Syrian President Bashar Assad's hand and the need for such action to be covered by international law.

But Hollande on September 7 announced France's intention to start airstrikes in Syria, days after the photo of a dead 3-year-old Syrian boy on a Turkish beach galvanized concern about Syrian refugees fleeing to save their lives.

In addition to the military moves, France has remained insistent that Assad must go — a stronger stance than that of the United States, which recently has tamped down demands for Assad's quick departure.

"The future of Syria cannot (include President) Bashar Assad," Hollande said in announcing France's airstrike campaign.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/What-France-has-been-doing-against-Islamic-State-in-Syria/articleshow/49787065.cms

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Paris prosecutor says likely attackers worked in three teams

Reuters | Nov 15, 2015

PARIS: The attackers who killed over 120 people in Friday night's wave of shootings and suicide bombings in Paris appeared to be made up of three teams, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said on Saturday.

"We can say at this stage of the investigation there was probably three coordinated teams of terrorists behind this barbaric act," he told a news conference.

He also confirmed that French authorities had a security file for Islamist radicalization on one of the attackers, who also had a criminal record, but had never spent time in jail.

He added that a person who had hired one of the cars used in the attacks was stopped at the Belgian border.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Paris-prosecutor-says-likely-attackers-worked-in-three-teams/articleshow/49786420.cms

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'Will do whatever we can': says Cameron after Paris attack

PTI | Nov 14, 2015

LONDON: British prime minister David Cameron today offered "thoughts and prayers" to the French people over the dreadful terror attacks in Paris that killed over 120 people, saying "we will do whatever we can to help."

Cameron said that he was "shocked" by the gun and bomb attacks.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the French people. We will do whatever we can to help," he said on Twitter.

The foreign office said it is "urgently investigating" whether any British nationals have been caught up in the shootings or hostage-taking.

There will be "strengthened policing at ports" and more police at public events in the coming days, UK police said.

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley and national policing lead for counter terrorism called for "vigilance" from the public.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II has sent her condolences to French president Francois Hollande.

"Prince Philip and I have been deeply shocked and saddened by the terrible loss of life in Paris. We send our most sincere condolences to you, the families of those who have died and the French people," she said.

Downing Street said Cameron would chair a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee in the wake of the attacks.

France was rocked by multiple, near simultaneous attacks on entertainment sites around Paris last evening that claimed over 120 lives.

At least two explosions were heard near the Stade de France national stadium where a France-Germany friendly soccer match was being played with President Francois Hollande in attendance.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Will-do-whatever-we-can-says-Cameron-after-Paris-attack/articleshow/49784759.cms

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Germany probes arrested man's links to Paris attacks

AP | Nov 15, 2015

BERLIN: German officials have said they are investigating whether a 51-year-old man arrested in Bavaria last week is linked to the Paris attacks, even as police in his home country of Montenegro rejected a possible connection.

Thomas de Maiziere, Germany's interior minister, said French authorities were informed of the arrest shortly after the man was detained with a stash of weapons and explosives in his car near the Austrian border on November 5.

The man's navigation device contained an address in Paris, he said.

"There is a connection to France but it's not certain that there is a link to this attack," said de Maiziere.

Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer told reporters that "there are reasonable grounds to assume that there may be a link to the matter." He did not elaborate.

Police in Montenegro said German police informed them they arrested a 51-year-old Montenegrin citizen with "a certain quantity of arms and ammunition" in his car, which was registered in the Balkan country's capital, Podgorica.

"We checked this information and found that 51-year old V V from Podgorica is not known to the police as the perpetrator of serious crimes or violations of public order," Montenegro police spokeswoman Tamara Popovic said in a statement.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/Germany-probes-arrested-mans-links-to-Paris-attacks/articleshow/49788516.cms

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British cities light up in support of grieving Paris

AFP | Nov 15, 2015

LONDON: London and other British cities lit landmark buildings in the red, white and blue of the French flag in solidarity after Paris gun and bomb attacks killed 129 people.

Some two thousand people gathered at an evening vigil yesterday in the capital's Trafalgar Square, where fountains and the grand portico of the National Gallery opposite were lit to resemble the Tricolour.

London landmarks the National Theatre, London Eye ferris wheel and Tower Bridge were also bathed in the French colours, joining other iconic buildings in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds.

"I feel sorry for the French, I've got friends in France. These kind of attacks could happen anywhere," said Oliver McQueen at Trafalgar Square.

"I'm upset ... So many innocent people killed for nothing."

Full article here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/British-cities-light-up-in-support-of-grieving-Paris/articleshow/49788360.cms

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Eerie similarity between Mumbai and Paris terror attacks: Pakistani daily

IANS | Nov 15, 2015

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani newspaper said on Sunday that there were "eerie similarities" between the Mumbai, Peshawar and Paris terror attacks.

And this proves that "radicalized militants view everyone as an enemy — Muslims, Christians, Hindus, non-believers, everyone", the newspaper Dawn said in an editorial.

"Just as al-Qaida killed indiscriminately, so does ISIS (Islamic State)," it added.

"The sheer terror of the Paris attacks is difficult to comprehend," the newspaper said, about the Friday night carnage in Paris that has left some 130 people dead and more than 300 injured.

Full article here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Eerie-similarity-between-Mumbai-and-Paris-terror-attacks-Pakistani-daily/articleshow/49789735.cms

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Paris Streets Run Red With Blood: Is This Catalyst?

Nov 15, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- On Friday, November 13, ISIL suicide bombers and gunmen opened fire at multiple locations in Paris in an unprecedented series of attacks that killed as many as 150 people.

What we know so far is that the tragedy was second large-scale terror incident in the French capital this year. What we don’t know is whether this will be a catalyst for the US-led coalition of regime changers to change course, come to their senses, put aside their silly agenda to remake the Middle East, and form a true international alliance to defeat the scourge of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and beyond. And by that, we don’t mean the folly of perpetual wars and planetary military interventions, abetted by dreamers and schemers in Europe and the United States. What we mean is this:

Full article here: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000007

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Arab World

ISIL Sends Long Military Convoy towards Battlefields with US Chopper's Back Up

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- A movie displayed by an Arab news website showed that a long convoy of the ISIL terrorists' military vehicles was going on a Highway towards battlefronts with the aerial back up of a US military Apache helicopter.

The UAE-based al-Sa'a displayed a video clip of over 200 Toyota vans carrying the flag and members of the ISIL terrorist group driving on one of the main highways of Syria while an Apache chopper of US military was accompanying them in a friendly manner.

The Arab media reported that the ISIL convoy did not open fire at the US chopper, which was flying in a very low altitude.

Early in October, former CIA counter terrorism officer and Senate Foreign Relations Committee senior investigator John Kiriakou said the US congress armed the ISIL terrorists by providing weapons to the "moderate" opposition.

The FSA is an armed Syrian opposition faction, considered "moderate" by the western countries, fighting the Syrian army loyal to President Bashar Assad since the beginning of the war in 2011. In 2014, the US Congress allocated $500 million to create FSA force of more than 5,000 men by the end of 2015.

"They (the FSA) didn’t help at all: supporting them only made matters worse. Most of the US arms that were sent to them only found their way into the hands of the Islamic State (of Iraq and the Levant). Congress paid for the arming (of) the Islamic State (of Iraq and the Levant)," Kiriakou said.

According to him, ISIL forces in Syria had been able to capture and use modern US equipment from the FSA just as their counterparts in Iraq enjoyed the use of huge quantities of US equipment they had captured from fleeing US-trained Iraqi forces.

The US idea of "a liberal, democratic freedom-loving, peace-loving opposition", an alternative to Syrian President Assad, was just nonsense, Kiriakou said. The US should have stayed out instead of making the situation worse, he added.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000479

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At Least 18 Terrorists Killed in Idlib

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army troops killed at least 18 terrorists in special operations in Abu al-Duhour village in Idlib province.

Field sources said the army conducted a special operation against terrorists’ positions in Abu al-Duhour village, Southeast of Idlib city, on Saturday.

At least 18 terrorists were killed and three vehicles loaded weapons and munitions were also destroyed in the operation.

Mohammad Murad Agha from Uzbekistan was identified among the dead terrorists.

Reports said on Saturday that the Syrian Army alongside the National Defense Forces (NDF) won back more strategic territories at Lattakia-Idlib border, and now are coordinating for the start of a joint operation to capture al-Sirmaniyah in Idlib province.

The Syrian soldiers and NDF fighter pushed back the militant groups from part of al-Ghaab plains near border of Lattakia and Idlib province and took full control over al-Karf mountains after killing or wounding scores of the terrorists.

The pro-government forces are now at a good position to storm the militants' defense lines near al-Sirmaniyah and recapture the town.

Reports said on Friday that Saraqb area in the Northwestern province of Idlib was the scene of heavy clashes between the Syrian Forces and the militants, in which dozens of the terrorists were killed or wounded.

The sources said that the Syrian Army alongside the NDF fighters launched their joint operation against the militant groups in Saraqb area, killed tens of them and destroyed their military equipment.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000574

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Syrian Forces Retake Key Area Near Palmyra

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian government forces won back a strategic area near the ancient city of Palmyra in Homs province.

On Saturday, Syrian army troops took full control over Talet Al-Biyarat which overlooks Palmyra in Homs province.

Also on Saturday, scores of the Takfiri militants were killed in Syrian mop-up operations in the Province of Homs in a new setback to the Takfiri militants.

The army destroyed terrorists' concentration centers in the towns and villages of Jawalak, Talbiseh and Teir Maala in the Northern countryside of Homs, killing scores of the Takfiri terrorists on Saturday.

The army troops also targeted Takfiri terrorists in the vicinity of Kafrnan village in Homs, and killed and wounded at least 10 militants and destroyed mortar launchers.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000544

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Spokesman: Syrian Airstrikes Destroy over 300 Terrorist Positions

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army Spokesman Ali Mayhub said his country's warplanes targeted 323 terrorist positions over the past two days, and advanced in the provinces of Dara'a, Sweida, Damascus Countryside, Homs, Aleppo, and Lattakia.

Ali Mayhub said in a statemtn on Saturday that the army engaged in fierce battles with the Takfiri militants in several areas in Dara'a and its countryside, and regained control of areas North of Sheikh Miskeen and between Sheikh Miskeen and Qarfa.

The army also thwarted a terrorists' attempt to infiltrate into military positions in Dael village, killing many terrorists and destroying their weapons and equipment.

The army also destroyed two bases of al-Nusra Front terrorists, a workshop for manufacturing explosive devices, several vehicles and a car loaded with munitions in Daraa al-Balad area in Daraa city. Three machinegun-equipped vehicles were also destroyed on the road between Daraa and Khirbet Ghazaleh.

Full article here: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000444

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Syrian Forces Advancing against Nusra Militants West of Aleppo

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army and popular forces restored security to a key village and its surroundings in the Western countryside of Aleppo after heavy clashes with al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and killing scores of them, battlefield sources announced Sunday.

The Nusra positions near al-Mansoura village came under massive offensive of the pro-government forces, who not only broke through the defense lines of the Nusra militants, but also entered the village and took it back from the terrorist group.

Al-Mansoura village and its nearby areas are now under full control of the Syrian army.

The Nusra militants' military vehicles and equipment were seriously destroyed in the army attack.

Full article here: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000393

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Syrian Forces Win Back More Ground near Kuweires Airbase

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian Army and Hezbollah fighters on Sunday pushed back ISIL terrorists from more territories in the Southern part of the newly-recaptured Kuweires airbase after fierce clashes with the militant group.

The pro-government forces' operation in the Eastern countryside of Aleppo ended in recapture of Rasm al-Abboud village from the ISIL militants.

The ISIL terrorists suffered heavy death toll in the army attack.

Sources said on Saturday that the Syrian army alongside Hezbollah conducted mop-up operations against the ISIL militants in two areas near Kuweires airbase, inflicting heavy losses on them.

Full article here: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000211

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Syrian Forces Continue Hunting ISIL Militants East, Northeast of Aleppo

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Armed Forces alongside Hezbollah fighters continued their joint attacks on terrorists' defense lines in at least four regions in Aleppo's countryside on Sunday, killing or wounding scores of them.

The Syrian army troops and resistance forces of Hezbollah targeted the positions of the ISIL terrorists near al-Bab city, Maskaneh, al-Afesh and Akouleh across the Eastern and Northeastern countryside of Aleppo city.

The ISIL militants have been pinned down as a resulted of the pro-government forces' offensives in which the terrorist group has suffered heavy death toll.

Also on Saturday, the army did the same with the abovementioned locations and destroyed positions of ISIL terrorists in the villages and towns of al-Bab, Maskaneh, al-Afesh, Akouleh and Rasm al-Abd in the Eastern countryside of Aleppo.

The terrorists' vehicles were also destroyed in the military operations.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940824000270

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Yemeni Forces Win Back New Areas in Ma'arib

November 15th, 2015

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Yemeni popular forces seized back several new areas in the province of Ma'arib and forced the Saudi troops to withdraw from their military positions.

"The popular forces took control of several military posts of the Saudi troops in Ma'arib after launching heavy missile and mortar attacks against them," Yemen's popular forces commander Abu Hesam al-Zeidi told FNA.

He noted that the Yemeni popular forces have made considerable advances in Ma'arib, and taken control of a large number of buildings and military positions.

The Yemeni army and popular forces have made striking advances against the Saudi forces, terrorists and pro-Hadi militias across the war-ravaged country in the past several weeks.

Full article here: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940823001558

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South Asia

Child Soldiers: a tool to sustain power in the Afghan war

By Khaama Press - Sun Nov 15 2015

By: Sara Spowart and Ahmad Waheed

According to the organization Child Soldiers International, the internationally agreed upon definition for a child soldier is: a child associated with an armed force or armed group (child soldier) who is less than 18 years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in hostilities.

(Paris Principles and Guidelines on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups, 2007.)

Children are very vulnerable in conflict-ridden areas such as Afghanistan and need to be protected. The use of children as soldiers causes significant psychological and physical development challenges. Many of these children mostly aged less than 18 years old are used to do hard physical labor or are sexually abused. These children are both taken by force or are recruited by the Taliban and Afghan police forces as fighters.

Full article here: http://www.khaama.com/child-soldiers-a-tool-to-sustain-power-in-the-afghan-war-1689

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Afghan peace tops army chief’s US visit agenda

Baqir Sajjad Syed — November 15th, 2015

ISLAMABAD: A new push for the resumption of stalled Afghan peace process looks imminent as Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif embarks on a five-day long visit to the United States.

“There is a visible possibility for a new push for resumption of the reconciliation process,” a senior official said in a background interview with Dawn on Saturday.

Afghanistan, sources confirmed, was at the top of agenda of Gen Sharif’s visit, which commences from Monday. The visit, according to a Washington-based source, is being attached “unprecedented” importance.

Gen Sharif would meet Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday (Nov 19). Meeting at this level is rare for any military chief visiting US.

Other meetings that Gen Sharif would have during his stay in Washington include Secretary of State John Kerry, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Joseph Dunford, Army Chief of Staff Gen Mark Milley and Director CIA John Brennan.

Full article here: http://www.dawn.com/news/1219840/afghan-peace-tops-army-chiefs-us-visit-agenda

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NDS detains seven Taliban in Kandahar

Sun Nov 15 2015

NDSThe National Directorate of Security (NDS) – Afghanistan’s inelegance agency has detained seven Taliban in southern Kandahar province.

A statement released by NDS on Sunday states that the group was involved in planting landmines and terrorizing tribal elders and religious scholars in Kandahar city.

Military equipment, transmission set, Kalashnikov, ammunition and other materials used in terrorist activities were seized from the possession of the terrorists, the statement adds.

A footage released by the inelegance agency shows the detained terrorists confessing to their crimes and association with Taliban.

Kandahar is the birth place of Taliban and one of the restive provinces in the southern part of the country.

It is considered a stronghold of Taliban who operates in remote areas of the province but occasionally carry out attacks in the provincial capital.

http://www.khaama.com/nds-detains-seven-taliban-in-kandahar-4118

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Kabul discusses refugee problems with European envoys

By Zabihullah Moosakhail - Sun Nov 15 2015

Foreing MinistryThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation on Saturday discussed the refugee problems with a number of envoys of the European countries where Afghan refugees are residing.

In the meeting with ambassadors of Germany, Italy, Britain, Czech, Sweden, France, Holland, Finland, Denmark, and Norway Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani called the problem of Afghan asylum seekers in European Countries a bilateral problem and emphasized the commitment of the Afghan Government for talks with these countries in order to find a bilateral and comprehensive solution to this problem.

“We expect European Countries to deal with Afghan asylum seekers according to the situation in Afghanistan and the international conventions frame work and the memoranda of understanding that some of these European countries have signed with Afghanistan.” Minister Rabbani said.

Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi Minister of Refugees and Repatriation said “Afghanistan is interested in reopening negotiations on MoUs that were signed in the previous years with some of the European countries and wants to start negotiations with some others, especially Germany, in this respect.”

In response to Minister Balkhi’s call, the European Ambassadors showed willingness to reopen negotiation on related MoUs but added that they would implement projects to create more job opportunities in the country which would prevent increase of immigration.

http://www.khaama.com/kabul-discusses-refugee-problems-with-european-envoys-4117

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India to build three healthcare centers in Badakhshan’s remote areas

By Zabihullah Moosakhail - Sun Nov 15 2015

Badakhshan-Public Health DirectorateIndia is building three healthcare centers in three remote districts of northeastern Badakhshan province.

Head of the province’s public health directorate says the healthcare centers would be built in Darayem, Shahr-e-Buzorg and Arghanchkhwa districts.

Noor Mohammad has told Radio Killid that one of the three healthcare centers going to be built in Arghanchkhwa would be a 20-bed hospital.

He said the estimated cost of the project is $480,000 being paid by the government of India.

The healthcare centers would benefit more than 60,000 people of the three districts who have been facing problems in health sector.

Due to the lack of health facilities, residents of Darayem, Shahr-e-Buzorg and Afghanchkhwa districts usually go to Faizabad, the provincial capital, for treatment.

But during winter seasons when it is snowing and the roads are blocked by snow they go through severe hardship and dangerous mountain routes to get out of the area.

The recent surge of insecurity in Badakhshan has also created trouble for the residents of remote areas to get to Faizabad.

http://www.khaama.com/india-to-build-three-healthcare-centers-in-badakhshans-remote-areas-4116

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Seven Afghans, one Ukrainian killed in helicopter crash in Slovakia

By Zabihullah Moosakhail - Sun Nov 15 2015, 9:36 am

Seven Afghans and one Ukrainian have lost lives in a helicopter crash in central European country of Slovakia, the country’s interior ministry said on Saturday.

Reuters news agency reports that a Ukrainian civilian helicopter that illegally entered Slovak airspace and crashed on Wednesday killed eight people aboard including a Ukrainian pilot and five men and two women from Afghanistan.

According to the report, Slovak authorities have said an unidentified helicopter was detected in Slovak airspace on Wednesday night. They said Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed that any aircraft had crossed the border, which is also the EU’s eastern border.

Ivan Netik, spokesman for the ministry has been cited as saying that a search operation was begun after the crash but due to heavy fog found the crash site only on Friday,.

“The Mi-2 helicopter with Ukrainian markings was flying at a low altitude in very bad weather conditions, as if it was trying to avoid being detected,” Netik said.

Documents in Arabic were found at the site which point to the victims being from Afghanistan, he said.

The ministry said it was working with Ukrainian authorities to investigate and has hinted that people smuggling may have been involved.

http://www.khaama.com/seven-afghans-one-ukrainian-killed-in-helicopter-crash-in-slovakia-4114

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Mideast

'IS' jihadist blows himself up, injuring four policemen in southern Turkey

November 15th, 2015

ANKARA: A suspected jihadist, belonging to the self-styled Islamic State, blew himself up in southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, during a police raid late Saturday, injuring four police officers, one seriously, media reports said.

The militant activated explosives attached to his body when police raided an apartment in a 10-storey building in the town of Gaziantep, the Dogan news agency said.

Four policemen have been injured in an explosion during a raid on a suspected IS militants' hideout as G-20 leaders began to meet for a summit.

Also read: 4 IS militants shot dead in Turkey

Full article here: http://www.dawn.com/news/1219853/is-jihadist-blows-himself-up-injuring-four-policemen-in-southern-turkey

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ISIS top of the agenda at G20 summit in Turkey

Reuters 15 November 2015

U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders arrived in Turkey on Sunday for a summit that has taken on new urgency after attacks in Paris pushed the fight against Islamic State militants to the top of the agenda.

Obama, who called the attacks "an outrageous attempt to terrorise civilians" on the eve of his departure, faces the question of how the West should respond now Islamic State poses a clear threat far beyond its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

Washington already expects France to retaliate by taking on a larger role in the U.S.-led coalition's bombing campaign against Islamic State.

But Obama is also seeking to coax other European and Middle Eastern countries into more tangible steps to show their military commitment, a U.S. official said before the president embarked on his nine-day foreign trip.

Full article here: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/isis.top.of.the.agenda.at.g20.summit.in.turkey/70611.htm

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Iran's Deputy C.o.S Warns US, European Allies Not to Misuse Paris Tragedy against Muslims

TEHRAN (FNA)- Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri warned Washington and its European allies not to replay the September 11 theatre to pressure and attack Muslims by misusing the Friday night's terrorist events in Paris.

Jazzayeri made the remarks after a series of bombings and shootings in the French capital left over 150 people dead and scores of others injured following which certain western media attempted to blame all Muslims for the attacks.

"The French people paid the price for their government's support for the ISIL and the Takfiri terrorism," he said.

Jazzayeri warned the US and its allies against misusing the Paris events to attack and pressure the Muslim states like what they did against Afghanistan and Iraq after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and 2003, and said Iran had many times warned that certain European countries' support for the terrorists will backfire on their advocates one day.

Full article here: http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940823001420

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Cyprus says 10 people stopped from going to Syria

AP | Nov 15, 2015

NICOSIA, Cyprus: Cyprus' foreign minister says heighted security measures have in the last year thwarted at least 10 people from using the ethnically divided island as a way station to Syria.

Ioannis Kasoulides said Saturday the 10 individuals who included British, French and Australian nationals have been deported.

He said the measures aim to prevent potential Jihadis from using Cyprus as a springboard to Turkey from where they head to neighboring Syria or use the island as a gateway back into Europe.

Cyprus lies around 100 miles (160 kilometers) off Syria's Mediterranean coast.

Cypriot authorities and foreign officials have voiced concern that Europeans and other third-country nationals could travel to Cyprus, cross into the island's unrecognized, breakaway Turkish Cypriot north and then head to Syria from there.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Cyprus-says-10-people-stopped-from-going-to-Syria/articleshow/49789170.cms

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India

Indian cities vulnerable to Paris-like attacks: Experts

Neeraj Chauhan & Bharti Jain,TNN | Nov 15, 2015

NEW DELHI: Having faced a Paris in Mumbai in 2008, Friday's act of terror has renewed the debate in Indian security and intelligence establishment on the safety of India's cities with experts feeling that, given the reach, motivation and the insidious nature of the jihadi threat the possibility of a "catastrophic" terror event cannot be wished away.

At least two former home secretaries - L C Goyal and G K Pillai - agreed that the threat of terrorism is serious and there is a lot of scope for improvement in policing at the state level. While Pillai warns that a sense of complacency has set in as no terror attack on the scale of 26/11 has recurred, Goyal feels states are not according due importance to modernizing policing and human intelligence.

Pillai said lack of 26/11-type attacks may be more of a coincidence. "I think so far we have been lucky. But there appears to be a sense of complacency and decline in alertness levels of the police. When things are quiet for a long time, one must be worried that the terror outfits, whose infrastructure remains intact in Pakistan, are possibly planning something big," he warned.

Full article here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-cities-vulnerable-to-Paris-like-attacks-Experts/articleshow/49786955.cms

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges UN to ‘define terrorism’

TNN & Agencies | Nov 15, 2015

LONDON/ DELHI: PM Narendra Modi described the terror assaults in France as an attack on humanity as he again asked the UN to define terrorism so that the world knows who is backing terror and who is against it.

The PM again strongly pitched for an early adoption at the UN of the 1996 Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

Condemning the terror attacks in Paris that claimed over 120 lives, Modi said, "What happened in Paris yesterday is an attack on humanity and the world should accept that it is not an attack on Paris, not an attack on French citizens, not an attack on France but an attack on humanity."

Full article here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Prime-Minister-Narendra-Modi-urges-UN-to-define-terrorism/articleshow/49786744.cms

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Mossad, MI5 roped in to shield Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Turkey?

Rajshekhar Jha,TNN | Nov 15, 2015

NEW DELHI: National security adviser Ajit Doval and intelligence agency chiefs redrew PM Narendra Modi's security apparatus early on Saturday to secure him from any crisis during his visit to Turkey from Sunday on. A special evacuation plan has also been put in place for him, it has been learnt.

The first major changes in Modi's security plan for his foreign travel were made after the IS-executed twin bombings in Ankara which took place on October 10 and killed 102 people. However, Friday's attack in Paris has led sleuths to enforce completely new contingency plans.

Special squads comprising unidentified foreign origin agents — speculated to be from Mossad and MI5 — have been roped in and dispatched to Turkey's capital Ankara and Antalya where the G20 summit is to be held.

Full article here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mossad-MI5-roped-in-to-shield-Prime-Minister-Narendra-Modi-in-Turkey/articleshow/49786782.cms

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Dalai Lama sees Bihar hope for harmony

IP Singh,TNN | Nov 15, 2015

JALANDHAR: Hailing the Bihar election results, the Dalai Lama on Saturday said the mandate had shown that a majority of Indians still believe in harmony. The Buddhist spiritual leader was chief guest at the convocation ceremony of a private university.

"Secularism means respect not only for other religions but for non-believers as well as they are also fellow human beings," he said. "Indian secularism is very relevant today. Some mischievous elements are always there."

Responding to a query on the debate on "rising intolerance", he said, "A few problems can be there but India has stood by its value system of secularism and harmony. Bihar elections have proved that majority of Indian people still believe in harmony." He however refused to elaborate, saying, "I am the longest staying guest of India and do not want to get into its politics."

"Buddhism originated in Indian and traditionally India is our guru and we are the chelas. There can be a few problems but overall the situation is very good and India has been following the principles of Ahimsa and harmony," he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dalai-Lama-sees-Bihar-hope-for-harmony/articleshow/49787126.cms

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Africa

22 dead this week in Central African Republic - Pope's visit in doubt

andy-walton Andy Walton Christian

14 November 2015

CAR has been beset by violence since the majority-Muslim Séléka drove out President Francois Bozizé in a coup in March 2013.

At least 22 people were killed in a string of raids on villages in Central African Republic this week, a local official and state radio said on Friday, as an escalation in violence threatened to derail a visit by the pope and crucial elections.

Pope Francis has already hinted that his trip, scheduled for November 28 and 29, could be canceled if the attacks worsen, though government and church authorities in the capital Bangui have sought to offer assurances that the visit will be peaceful.

Earlier, the Catholic Herald reported that the trip is likely to go ahead, with the Pope also committed to visiting Kenya and Uganda. "The whole population is now actively preparing itself," said Mgr Cyriaque Gbate Doumalo, secretary-general of the bishops' conference. "We think we can maintain security at least in the capital, Bangui. For the moment, there's no reason or justification to place the visit in doubt."

Full article here: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/22.dead.this.week.in.central.african.republic.popes.visit.in.doubt/70502.htm

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UN peacekeeper killed in Central African Republic

2015-11-11

A UN peacekeeper was killed in the Central African Republic Tuesday following a clash with Muslim Seleka rebels that comes just weeks before elections in the troubled country.

The soldier from the MINUSCA force was found dead in Batangafo, north of Bangui, a United Nations spokesman said.

"Following an outbreak of violence between armed anti-Balaka and ex-Seleka elements at an internally displaced persons camp in Batangafo, ex-Seleka elements confronted MINUSCA troops at a nearby MINUSCA checkpoint," said a statement from spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Full article here: http://www.france24.com/en/20151111-un-peacekeeper-killed-central-african-republic

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US air strike kills ISIS leader in Libya

By Zabihullah Moosakhail - Sun Nov 15 2015

An air strike by American F-15 fighter jet has killed the leader of the Islamic State (IS) in Libya, days after a U.S. drone attack took the life of dreaded executioner “Jihadi John” who had appeared in numerous videos executing hostages for the terror group.

The U.S. military on Friday conducted an airstrike in Libya against Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi, an Iraqi national, who was a longtime al-Qaeda operative and later, the senior Islamic State leader in Libya, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Saturday.

Full article here: http://www.khaama.com/us-air-strike-kills-isis-leader-in-libya-4117

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Ben Carson And The GOP’s Foolish Jihad Against Muslims

By Saba Ahmed

11/13/2015

So far, it does not seem to bother a majority of Americans that Dr. Ben Carson, the new frontrunner in the race for the White House – who in some polls beats Hillary Clinton by as many as 10 points — is dangerously hostile to one of the fastest-growing religions in the United States. Yet unfortunately, Carson’s ill-informed views on Muslim-Americans have become commonplace in the GOP, which is doing its level best to alienate yet another minority group that it will need to remain a viable majority party in the coming decades.

In September, Dr. Carson breezily told an interviewer on NBC that he could not support a Muslim-American who sought the presidency. The comment, which he modified only slightly in response to a public outcry, is especially ironic since Dr. Carson, an African American, undoubtedly faces the same sort of reflexive bigotry about his own candidacy in some regions of the country. As a Muslim-American Republican – a segment of our population that is declining dramatically by the day – I might be able to look past Dr. Carson’s offensive and ignorant statements were they not replicated in some form by nearly every other Republican in the race.

Full article here: http://dailycaller.com/2015/11/13/ben-carson-and-the-gops-foolish-jihad-against-muslims/

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Pakistan

Gurdwara in Pakistan reopens for worship after 73 years

PTI | Nov 15, 2015

PESHAWAR: A gurdwara in northwest Pakistan was reopened today for worship after remaining closed for 73 years following a consensus among the Sikh community, local residents and the administration at a jirga here.

Deputy commissioner of Peshawar Riaz Mehsud, who chaired the jirga, called for a discussion on the reopening of the gurdwara in Jogiwara area in interior Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Advisor to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on minority affairs Sardar Suran Singh was also in attendance, besides representatives from the police and the local administration.

The local residents assured the jirga that they did not have any objection over the reopening of the gurdwara if proper arrangements were made for ensuring the 'Purdah' system.

Mehsud said a new boundary wall would be constructed around the gurdwara so that the local population does not face have to any problem from Sikh community during their worship.

The gurdwara was closed in 1942 after the local population raised objection over lack of proper 'Purdah system' around the religious site.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Gurdwara-in-Pakistan-reopens-for-worship-after-73-years/articleshow/49785141.cms

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Two policemen guarding Ismaili community flats killed

Imtiaz Ali — November 15th, 2015

KARACHI: Two policemen deployed for the security of the Ismaili community’s residential complex were shot dead at a checkpoint in the Sachal area on Saturday noon, according to officials.

Police constables Ali Raza, 50, and Ghulam Jaffer, 46, were targeted at the checkpoint set up outside Jeewani Heights, off the Superhighway, by four armed motorcyclists, said Gadap SP Chaudhry Saifullah.

The attackers also took away their official weapons, the officer said.

Both policemen were rushed to the nearby Dow varsity hospital where doctors declared constable Ali Raza dead on arrival, said Sohrab Goth DSP Khalid Khan. He added that the other constable, Ghulam Jaffer, who sustained gunshot wounds in the head died during treatment later in the evening.

According to the police, constable Ali Raza was posted at Sachal police station some four months ago. He was a resident of Bhitaiabad and originally hailed from Pano Aqil. Constable Ghulam Jaffer was posted at the Sachal police station about six months ago. He was a resident of Sachal Goth and originally belonged to Kotdiji.

With the murder of the two police officials, the number of policemen killed in the city during the current year reached 80, said a police spokesperson.

The police investigators said all the attackers wore helmets. Three of them were clad in shalwar kameez while their accomplice wore a shirt with trousers, the officials said.

The Gadap SP believed that the attack was carried out in a way that the policemen could not get a chance to retaliate.

“The picket was set up at a sensitive place,” said additional inspector general of police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar while talking to the media at the crime-scene.

Mr Mahar, who visited the crime-scene along with Karachi-East DIG Munir Ahmed Shaikh, did not specify the nature of the area’s sensitivity.

Police sources said some police posts were established in the vicinity to keep a strict watch on criminals and to protect the community in the area after the May 13 targeted attack on their bus in which over 45 Ismaili community members were shot dead.

DSP Khan confirmed to Dawn that the police picket was set up for the protection of Ismaili community members as they resided in Jeewani Heights.

“There should have been at least four policemen at the picket,” said the city police chief. But the SHO concerned displayed ‘negligence’ by deploying only two policemen there. He said there was also negligence on the part of the officer that the policemen had not been provided with bulletproof jackets.

Full article here: http://www.dawn.com/news/1219690/two-policemen-guarding-ismaili-community-flats-killed

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Khanani’s arrest by US shocks money-changers

Shahid Iqbal — November 15th, 2015

KARACHI: The news about the arrest of Altaf Khanani, a well-known money-changer, by US authorities has sent shockwaves among exchange companies operating in Pakistan. They fear more arrests as more and more transactions come under scrutiny across the world.

The US authorities revealed on Friday that they had arrested Altaf Khanani in September and accused his firm, Khanani Money Laundering Organisation (MLO), of laundering illicit funds for organised crime groups, drug trafficking organisations and designated terrorist groups throughout the world.

Full article here: http://www.dawn.com/news/1219828/khananis-arrest-by-us-shocks-money-changers

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Southeast Asia

Salleh: Muslim silent majority must condemn terrorism

November 15, 2015

KUALA LUMPUR: The “silent majority” of Muslims have been urged to speak up and condemn acts of terrorism carried out by a small minority of their fellow Muslims.

Minister of Communications and Multimedia and Sabah Umno leader Salleh Said Keruak, writing in his personal blog, said Islam had been the victim in Paris on Friday night, as much as those killed and wounded by Islamist terrorists who opened fire at the audience attending a rock concert and carried out bombings at several other locations in the city.

The Paris massacre left at least 128 dead and 180 wounded in the second terrorist incident after the Charlie Hebdo shooting last year, and brought back memories of the Madrid bombings in 2004 that left 191 dead and 1,800 wounded.

“Since the incident of September 2001, Islam is perceived as a violent religion and those giving Islam this negative image are Muslims themselves,” he wrote and pointed out that only a small minority of the world’s Muslims commit these terrorist acts while the majority of Muslims are peace loving and reject violence.

He said that “as long as the large silent majority remain silent and do not condemn such terrorist acts then it would be perceived that the silence means tacit support.”

He urged Muslims to condemn terrorism and send a strong message that Muslims rejected all forms of violence whether by terrorists or state organised.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/11/15/salleh-muslim-silent-majority-must-condemn-terrorism/

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Tawfik Ismail speaks for silent Muslims

Mariam Mokhtar

November 14, 2015

Whether or not he was aware of it, G25 member Tawfik Ismail spoke on behalf of millions of Malaysian Muslims when he called for the dissolution of the Islamic Development Department (Jakim). These silent Muslims have long known that Jakim regularly oversteps its powers and interferes in the personal lives of Muslims.

Tawfik has disturbed a hornet’s nest, and the government machinery rolled out its troopers to defend Jakim.

First in line was Perkasa, which said that Tawfik’s statement insulted the Federal Constitution.

“Perkasa believes that, as a religious authoritative body, Jakim’s existence cannot be denied and its authority cannot be questioned,” said Amini Amir Abdullah, who heads the group’s Islamic Affairs Bureau.

Full article here: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2015/11/14/tawfik-ismail-speaks-for-silent-muslims/

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Is Malaysia 'Westernised' Or Islamic?

Nov 15, 2015

There are many who like to dream that Malaysia may become a western country. Maybe being a western country is the Malaysian dream itself. What I mean by “western country” is not only in being developed, but having peoples with general western attitudes too, such as being prosperous, free, democratic, liberal, secular, individual oriented, tolerant, environmental friendly, good governance and other attributes that characterise countries of North America, Western Europe and Australia.

Stereotyping, this maybe the dream of the elites, middle class, educated, the so called Bangsar and Mont Kiara people or any Malaysians who like to migrate to the west if the opportunity rises.

Full article here: is-malaysia-westernised-or-islamic?&Itemid=2#ixzz3rYV8GxGs

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Myanmar president promises peaceful power transfer

IANS | Nov 15, 2015

NAY PYI TAW: Myanmar President U Thein Sein on Sunday promised to systematically transfer power to the new government after the recent general elections.

U Thein Sein made the remarks when meeting for the first time political parties a week after the country's multitiered elections, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, attained the absolute majority of the parliamentary seats, Xinhua reported.

The current government will work for smooth and peaceful transition during the remaining period of its term in line with the existing laws, procedures, prescriptions and practices, the president told the political parties.

Full article here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Myanmar-president-promises-peaceful-power-transfer/articleshow/49789549.cms

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North America

American-Muslim Leaders Say ISIS 'Has Declared War on All of Us'

By JANET WEINSTEIN

Nov 15, 2015

The U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) held a press conference at the Council on American-Islamic Relations building in Washington, Nov. 14, 2015.

Muslim-American leaders today condemned the attacks in Paris that left at least 129 people dead and hundreds more injured, and called ISIS, which French leaders blamed for the attacks, "an extremist group that has declared war on us all."

"We are one. We are united," Imam Johari Abdul Malik of the Muslim Alliance in North America said today at at press conference organized by the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations. "This is an extremist group that has declared war on all of us."

Members of the council said that ISIS is not representative of the Muslim community.

ISIS Claims Deadly Paris Attacks, 'First of the Storm'

Full article here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/american-muslim-leaders-isis-declared-war-us/story?id=35206627

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U.S. Muslim Coalition to Respond to Paris Terror Attacks

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, November 14, the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a coalition of leading national and local Muslim organizations, will hold a noon news conference in Washington, D.C., to condemn yesterday's terror attacks in Paris and to suggest ways in which the American Muslim community and all Americans should respond to the carnage.

Founding members of USCMO: American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), The Mosque Cares (Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed).

Full article here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-muslim-coalition-to-respond-to-paris-terror-attacks-300178840.html

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Hillary urges war on Daesh, not Muslims

AFP — Nov 15, 2015

DES MOINES: White House hopeful Hillary Clinton called for global unity to crush the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group, as the carnage in Paris took centre stage at Saturday's Democratic presidential debate.

The three candidates began their debate with a moment of silence for the victims in France, bringing Friday's horrific attacks an ocean away to the forefront of the 2016 race as they dominated the first half hour of the political showdown.

Clinton, liberal United States (US) Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley united in calling for the destruction of the terrorists accused of massacring at least 129 people in the French capital.

"We are not at war with Islam," said the former secretary of state, choosing her words with care as she warned ordinary Muslims should not be viewed as a threat. "We are at war with violent extremism."

"Our prayers are with the people of France tonight, but that is not enough," she said, calling for global resolve to defeat IS, "a barbaric, ruthless, violent jihadist terrorist group".

Full article here: http://www.dawn.com/news/1219850/hillary-urges-war-on-daesh-not-muslims

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Matt Drudge Slams Obama for Importing Muslims into the United States

AP/Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

by Neil Munro14 Nov 20150

As jihadis murdered more than 100 innocents in Paris, Matt Drudge used his twitter account to focus attention on President Barack Obama’s policy of encouraging Islamic migration into the United States.

Since 2009, Obama has admitted more than 250,000 Muslims each year, via family reunification sought by new Muslim citizens and government invites to Muslims fleeing wars in the chaotic Islamic heartland of the Middle East. In 2013, for example, Obama’s government admitted 280,276 people from Muslim-majority countries where the notion of jihad against non-Muslims is a conventional belief.

Full article here: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/14/matt-drudge-slams-obama-importing-muslims-united-states/

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This is not 'us vs them': Violent extremism is not a Muslim problem – we must fight it together

By Rachel Shabi

Nov 15, 2015

Finger pointing further marginalises exactly those disenfranchised communities that we should be working hard to engage

Paris is still numb and we’re still in shock; the blood of the horrifically slain is still fresh and the terrible loss is agonisingly raw – but already, the accusing fingers have started to point. As we learn of at least 127 innocent people killed in multiple attacks in the French capital, with 180 more injured, as France reels under a state of emergency and under an unbearable shroud of mourning, there are already blame-filled rumblings across the media commentary of these appalling events. There is talk of the Syria war coming home to hurt us; about radicalised jihadis coming back to Europe after fighting with the death cult Isis. There are already mutterings along the lines of “What did we expect?”, and a blowback over Europe’s meddling in the Middle East, while on the other side of the political divide the far-right is mobilising against Muslim minorities and migrants.

Full article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/this-is-not-us-vs-them-violent-extremism-is-not-a-muslim-problem-we-must-fight-it-together-a6734536.html

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Paris Terror Attacks May Prompt More Aggressive U.S. Strategy on ISIS

By PETER BAKER and ERIC SCHMITT

NOV. 14, 2015

WASHINGTON — When the Islamic State stormed onto the scene in Syria and Iraq, it seemed focused on seizing territory in its own neighborhood. But in the last two weeks, the so-called soldiers of the caliphate appear to have demonstrated a chilling reach, with terrorist attacks against Russia, in Lebanon and now in France.

The seemingly synchronized assaults that turned Paris into a war zone on Friday came just days after a bombing targeted a Shiite district of Beirut controlled by Iran’s ally, Hezbollah, and a Russian passenger jet was downed over Egypt. The rapid succession of strikes, all claimed by the Islamic State, suggested that the regional war has turned into a global one.

For President Obama and American allies, the attacks are almost certain to force a reassessment of the threat and may prompt a more aggressive strategy against the Islamic State, known variously as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh. Mr. Obama met with national security aides Saturday before his scheduled departure for Antalya, Turkey, where he was to consult with other world leaders in a Group of 20 summit meeting now sure to be dominated by discussion of the Paris attacks.

“ISIS is absolutely a threat beyond the region,” said Frances Fragos Townsend, the top White House counterterrorism adviser under President George W. Bush. “We must not continue to assume that ISIS is merely an away threat. It clearly has international ambitions beyond its self-proclaimed caliphate.”

The situation was already complex enough, with varied players with separate interests involved in the war.

Full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/world/europe/paris-terror-attacks-response-islamic-state.html?_r=0

 

URL:  https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslims-around-world-speak-terrorist/d/105279

 

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